Vegas Popular

BETTE'S DINNER

There maybe one special sweetener in the contract that Bette Midler is currently negotiating with the Caesars Palace executives to take over from Celine Dion when the Canadian songbird winds up her four-year residency this coming December at the Colosseum. And it involves chicken quesadillas! Turns out that she's a regular at star chef Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill in her downtown Manhattan neighborhood. The Food Network star told me that he happily opened up his Caesars Palace outpost just for Bette to enjoy the spicy chicken quesadillas in quiet and privacy while she's been visiting Sin City this week. So when Bette begins her run here she now knows that the taste treat will be available to her whenever she wants; in the restaurant or delivered steps away to her dressing room!

WILD AND CRAZY CHEF

It's like dining in a '70s disco! Barry White and Lou Rawls are blasting out from the speakers and the center mirrored ceiling ball is sending out shining rays of light flashes. Suddenly the room goes black and Al Pacino springs to life on the giant TV screens as he shoots up the entire cast of 'Scarface!' Then, just as suddenly, the pulsating music is back on and so infectious people have begun dancing not only in the aisles and on the bar, but also on their own dining tables!

It is so wild and crazy I have to say it's the wildest restaurant on earth and the food is a knockout sensation! Welcome to Cafe Martorano where such stars as Jessica Simpson, Ashanti, Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Joe Pesci, Shaquille O'Neal, Dennis Rodman, Dan Marino, Joe Montana and Don King are regulars. Until now, chef/owner, the tattooed biker Steve Martorano (seen above with yours truly), has held court in Fort Lauderdale only, but over the weekend he opened a much larger outpost in the Rio near Prince's 3121 showroom. His Florida success began as a tiny eight-table restaurant which grew to 14 tables and a long bar and lines of customers every night of its 13-year run. His new Vegas restaurant is much larger but with the same crazed scene that includes an open-air roof! Steve's two sons play DJ from right by the kitchen stoves. Already Shaq and Ludacris are regulars raving about the Italian-American home-cooking. Check it out for yourself because you wont believe your eyes, ears, and, most of all, taste buds. And be sure to buy a take home souvenir of his line of tomato sauces. There wont be a night when a celebrity isn't in there having fun!

#1 CHEF

Every star chef in our hot restaurant royal kingdom pays homage to culinary king Joel Robuchon (seen above, right) by making the pilgrimage to see the master at work in his two restaurants at the MGM Grand. But that got me chuckling and wondering where on earth the master himself goes after finishing work at his Mansion and the L'Atelier restaurants. Well turns out he's a big fan of Chef John Simmons at the unique Firefly Tapas Kitchen and Bar a few blocks away!

Now Simmons will tell you that Joel's food is the best in the world and he even has all of Joel's cookbooks. But when the master came in with his head chef and MGM's food and beverage director, Chef John prepared a tasting of sushi, short ribs, tuna takatsu and ended with chocolate cake. Joel patted him on the back saying he loved everything and it was exactly what he wanted after a hard night behind the grills! John gifted the man called the Pope of Cooking with the restaurants signature orange shirts and dragonfly emblazoned hats.

COMIC OF THE YEAR

Congratulations are due this morning to 'The 40 Year Old Virgin' star Steve Carell, who has been named Comedy Star of the Year by ShoWest. I met Steve Sunday at the NBA All-Star Game and neither of us knew then that he'd be back on March 15 to pick up the award at the movie exhibitor's convention being held in both the Paris and Bally's hotels. The actor will reprise his role as polished preening newscaster Evan Baxter in the next Evan Almighty follow-up sequel. This time around he's living in suburban Virginia and is instructed by God -- played again by Morgan Freeman -- to build an ark!

STRIP SCRIBBLES

For the second consecutive week, Cee-Lo Green from Gnarls Barkley turned up for Industry Night in JET at the Mirage. He had a whole set of different ladies with him this time around, but unlike last week -- as we showed you with all the photos in LUXE LIFE -- he didn't go wild dancing with them! ... Latin heartthrob Luis Miguel treated six friends for dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Spago restaurant in the Forum Shops of Caesars Palace, and Executive Chef David Robins sent out my signature rich and famous smoked salmon and caviar pizza to welcome them. ... For the fourth consecutive night, LA Laker star Lamar Odom dined on the chicken wings at Stack in the Mirage and at adjoining separate tables Dog the Bounty Hunter and handsome Hollywood hunk, Brody Jenner.

TONIGHT'S TIP
Country comes a calling at the Orleans tonight with Glenn Campbell, and his show has become a family affair this time around as he features wife, Debby Campbell. They'll play there through Sunday night.

TOMORROW'S TEASE
Brutal rugged fighting comes to town with the Pride fighters and on a gentler note where love conquers all we're up-close at the fourth anniversary celebrations of 'Mamma Mia!' at Mandalay Bay.

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